Ruby Sunshine
When I received an invitation from my sweet friend Tim to be part of Ruby Sunshine’s trial run before opening, I was thrilled. You know how I love trying new restaurants! In exchange for a donation to the Lowcountry Food Bank and filling out a feedback questionnaire, we enjoyed a complementary Sunday brunch.
Ruby Sunshine is an off shoot of the Ruby Slippers Restaurant in New Orleans. The company started branching out in 2019 with the Ruby Sunshine Brand. Charleston is restaurant #19, and most of their expansion happened during COVID! Which tells you it's a great concept! Another Ruby Sunshine is planned for Savannah Hwy in Avondale.
Located in the old Blossom restaurant at 171 East Bay Street, the space has had a slight face lift. It’s the same layout, but the vibe is much more casual. There is a bar up front with creative, delicious drinks. Our experienced Bloody Mary lover says his was the “best ever,” and he preferred their homemade mix to Zing Zang. The menu is extensive with plenty of sweet choices that were hard to resist. We tried to be good and ordered the Grilled Catfish over grit cakes, a Trifecta of 3 specialty eggs benedicts, fried green tomatoes topped with bacon jam & biscuit, and French Toast bites. Everything was more delicious than I anticipated. The catfish was cooked to perfection (most places overcook) and finished off with creole hollandaise. Through the Benedicts we got to taste the fried chicken, Bayou Shrimp and Conchon. The French toast bites were soft in the middle and served with a delicious praline sauce. The biscuit is served with the best honey butter I have ever tasted. The fried green tomatoes were delicious and a real value at $7. All the prices were reasonable.
The wait staff and management were laid back, friendly and efficient. There is a crew in from New Orleans to open the place. Let’s hope Ruby Sunshine doesn’t run into staffing problems when the crew returns home.
They are only open for breakfast and lunch, but make a plan to try it. You won’t be disappointed!
